China Says Dalai Lama Can’t Reincarnate
China continues its cultural and spiritual genocide on the people of Tibet. This time they have passed a law saying that no “living Buddha” can reincarnate without the express permission of China’s State Administration for Religious Affairs.
“Tibet’s living Buddhas have been banned from reincarnation without permission from China’s atheist leaders. The ban is included in new rules intended to assert Beijing’s authority over Tibet’s restive and deeply Buddhist people. ‘The so-called reincarnated living Buddha without government approval is illegal and invalid,’ according to the order, which comes into effect on September 1. The 14-part regulation issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs is aimed at limiting the influence of Tibet’s exiled god-king, the Dalai Lama, and at preventing the re-incarnation of the 72-year-old monk without approval from Beijing.”
The fourteenth and current Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, who is considered a reincarnation of Avalokiteshvar: the bodhisattva of compassion, has already announced that if he dies in exile so his successor will be born. This no doubt worries the government of China who have been trying to take over Tibetan Buddhism through imprisonments, persecutions, and laws designed to move all decision-making to Chinese officials. As China continues to “convert” Tibet into a mirror-image of the Chinese mainland, tensions among native Tibetans are rising.
“The atmosphere in Lithang, eastern Tibet, is tense and there are fears of a further security crackdown after a local Tibetan nomad, Runggye Adak, was detained after speaking about the Dalai Lama and his concern about social issues in the area to a crowd of hundreds of people gathered for the horse racing festival in Lithang … According to various reports, many Tibetans congregated to protest about the arrest of Runggye and police had to fire warning shots in the air to disperse the crowds. Several Tibetans have sought the release of Runggye Adak from custody through dialogue with police and Kardze officials.”
Of course no real pressure is being brought to China for these offenses, the US doesn’t want to offends its number one “most-favored” trading partner and many American companies are more than willing to help China round up anyone who dares criticize the nation from within. But many are hoping that with China hosting the 2008 Olympics more political pressure can be brought against the nation for their abysmal record on human rights and their handling of Tibet. If you are interested in moving forward on this issue, there is a special website called “Race for Tibet” that discusses ways ordinary people can work towards real progress in Tibet.
One response so far
My friend overheard this in Beijing today: “Now Dalai Lama is getting old. So of course he is thinking about his next life, the next Dalai Lama. He wants to select his next one. Of course he cannot select where he will live. He knows when he passes, maybe without the permission of central government of China, maybe he cannot get re-life”
She took some video of the exchange, as well, which you can see at: http://beijingwideopen.org/2007/08/05/video-from-the-lama-temple/